51Æ·²è

As the Voting Rights Act turns 60, its legacy is under siege—from courts, lawmakers, and a government retreating from enforcement. The battle to preserve it is now a fight for the future of democracy itself.

Representing Western Native Voice and four sovereign tribal nations in Montana, the 51Æ·²è, 51Æ·²è of Montana, and Native American Rights Fund (NARF) challenged the latest in a line of Montana laws that hinder Native American participation in the state’s electoral process — SB 490, which drastically limits access to Election Day voter registration (EDR) in Montana. These laws violate a number of provisions in the Montana Constitution: the right to vote, equal protection, and due process.

Congressman Michael Bost brought suit trying to prevent Illinois from counting mail ballots that are voted by election day and received within the following fourteen days, consistent with Illinois law. The Seventh Circuit ruled that Congressman Bost lacks standing to sue. Bost sought certiorari from the U.S. Supreme Court on the question whether he has standing as a federal candidate to bring his lawsuit and have it decided on the merits.   While the 51Æ·²è strongly opposes Congressman Bost’s position on the merits and has repeatedly defended similar state laws from challenge, the rules that determine whether Bost has standing to even bring his anti-voter lawsuit also apply to civil rights groups when they bring suit to expand or protect the rights of voters.

From restrictive legislation to inaccessible polling places, barriers persist that undermine the rights of voters with disabilities.